Just recently, I have helped start a Knitting for the Needy club. The basic purpose was to get a bunch of girls together to talk and knit. Of course, why bother to do so much knitting if it was not for a better cause than fashion? So the main purpose of the club became to knit scarves, beanies, and booties for the babies and children at our local hospital. With all this charity knitting, we needed some charity yarn.
I know like myself, there are many who have started or are participating in a charity knitting/crocheting clubs or are just doing it individually. There are a few places where you can get free yarn for charity. Some places to steer clear of are chain craft stores. I contacted Joann’s Fabric and Michael’s first, thinking I would get my biggest break there. I was disappointed when I got only a 10% coupon from Joann’s and absolutely no answer from Michael’s.
Local Yarn Shops: Ask the local yarn shops in your area. Where I am located, there were not a lot, so I sent emails and letters to places within my state. You can find stores on sites such as yellow book.com and city search.com. I told them exactly what I was doing and requested yarn that they had a hard time getting rid of. A few stores happily sent boxes over. Be sure to write a sincere letter with pointed direction of where their yarn is going. If you are an individual, you might want to get a couple more people to join you so that you do not look like you are knitting/crocheting for your own benefit.
Crafting Forums: Another great place to ask for yarn donations is on crafting/knitting/crocheting forums. There are many craftsters out there who have a box yarn they just do not like any more. I remember getting two boxes from ladies who actually thanked me for getting their husbands off their back to downsize their yarn pile! Remember, make it know that you are not asking for expensive yarn, but more just leftover, unwanted yarn. This makes it more convenient for people.
Freecycle: Freecycle.com is a great website that connects people with their area to find free stuff. Most cities are listed, so it is definitely worth a look. You are allowed to post your same letter asking for unwanted yarn there. You might be surprised once more who has yarn just waiting to be collected. Since the people are in your neighborhood, they will most likely ask you to come pick it up. A small price to pay for yarn for your charity.
Yarn for your charity is not hard to find if you look in the right places. Make your letter sincere and convenient. Do not forget to follow up with a thank you letter, updates, and even pictures!
